Yosemite aims to reduce visitor traffic

Although Yosemite National Park is the size of Rhode Island, most people only use a tiny sliver of it – and that has an enormous impact, creating big challenges for those charged with preserving it. NBC’s Harry Smith reports.

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>>>back as promised with a controversial idea for one of this nation's great treasures and top destination every time of year and around this time of year, the
national parks service
wants to make
yosemite
a road less traveled, reducing congestion and closing some popular concessions and high traffic areas. nbc's
harry smith
went to
yosemite
to see how close we're really coming to loving a
national park
to death.

>> reporter: if you're lucky, you'll get to spend some time in a
national park
this summer. maybe you'll make it to
yosemite
. ancient glaciers polish the great granite cliffs of
yosemite
into a powerful sight, none who see it ever forget it.
yosemite
is a place so incredible, congress approved the money to preserve and protect it during the thread bear years of the
civil war
. a half a century later,
john mueller
, the man who founded the
sierra club
, brought
teddy roosevelt
here, and convinced him to expand the park and turn it into a
national park
. they would be stunned to see that 4 million visitors come here every year, that's double the number from just 30 years ago.

>>too many people here as it is.

>> reporter: so the
park service
wants to reduce
traffic congestion
, because it's been designated a
wild and scenic river
, giving the 81 miles of the merced, which runs through the park, more space. that means doing away with or moving a number of the concessions, bike rental, horseback rides and rafting. they also plan to close two swimming pools. local congressman
tom mcclintock
thinks it is a bad idea.

>>what they're saying is they're going to move the amenities from the area where people frequent and move them to areas where people don't go. thanks a lot.

>> reporter: yosemite
is caught
between a rock and a hard place
, if you will. here's the problem. the park is the size of the
state of rhode island
, but most people only use a tiny sliver of it, and that sliver feels an enormous impact. environmentalists like greg adair say the park needs to do much more.

>>somehow we keep getting plans that walk around those issues and don't really face them squarely.

>> reporter: how to preserve a place that means so much to so many people is no easy task. ranger scott getman worked in
yosemite
for 17 years.

>>we want to make sure that the plan reflects what people want, because when it is all said and done, the
national parks
belong to the
american people
.